Method of preparing a protective device for safety shoes

ABSTRACT

A protective device for use in safety footwear which comprises a unitary sole-protecting portion and a toe-protecting portion secured along at least one side of the sole-protecting portion, and adapted to be formed into one or multiple layers of an openended arch as a toe-protecting portion.

United States Patent Howland, Jr.

[ *Sept. 9, 1975 METHOD OF PREPARING A PROTECTIVE DEVICE FOR SAFETY SHOES Inventor: Raymond J. Howland, Jr., Windham, NH.

Assignee: Safety, Inc., Boston, Mass.

Notice: The portion of the term of this patent subsequent to Nov. 5, 1991, has been disclaimed.

Filed: Aug. 2, 1974 Appl. No.: 494,380

Related US. Application Data Continuation of Ser. No, 434,267, Jan. 17, I974, Pat. No, 3,845,576.

US. Cl. 12/142 R; 36/72 R Int. Cl. A43D 9/00 Field of Search 12/142 R; 36/72 R, 72 A,

36/72 B, 72 C, 77 R, 10, 7.5, 7,6, 7.7

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,125,558 l/l9l5 Koebel 36/72 R [367,036 7/ I932 Strauss 3,012,343 lZ/l96l Dinkel 4. 3,7 l 6,932 2/l973 Pakulak 3,845,576 ll/l974 Howland 4. 36/77 R Primary Examiner-Patrick D. Lawson Attorney, Agent, or FirmRichard P. Crowley [57} ABSTRACT A protective device for use in safety footwear which comprises a unitary sole-protecting portion and a toeprotecting portion secured along at least one side of the sole-protecting portion, and adapted to be formed into one or multiple layers of an open-ended arch as a toe-protecting portion.

14 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures METHOD OF PREPARING A PROTECTIVE DEVICE FOR SAFETY SHOES REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATION This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 434,267, filed Jan. 17, 1974 (now US. Pat. No. 3,845,576; issued Nov. 5, 1974.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Safety-type footwear of the protective type is often employed to protect the foot of the wearer from crushing weights or penetration of the footwear by sharp objects, such as nails. Protective footwear, although customarily worn by policemen, firemen, miners, construction workers or others working in industry, may also be usefully employed to prevent or minimize foot injuries to children or others. Protective footwear may be designed to protect the toes of the wearer, the metatarsal arch, the sole of the wearer and combinations thereof.

Protective footwear is typically fabricated by inserting in the footwear a protective device which has been formed by stamping a sheet material, such as stamping sheet steel in a die press, to blank out flat material, and, thereafter, forming the blank into the protective device to be inserted into the footwear. Typically, the blank so prepared is of uniform thickness, the thickness of the material governed by the extent of protection desired. The sheet material thickness is often limited by the need of the wearer of the protective footwear, such as, for example, the requirement of the wearer to flex the sole of the shoe where sole-protective devices are used, and the bulkiness of any protecting arch designed to protect the toe or metatarsal arch of the foot. A protective element for safety shoes which provides an opentoe protective arch open at the front or rear and a soleprotecting portion designed to underlie the sole of the wearer of the footwear is described in US. Pat. No. 3,410,007, patented Nov. 12, 1968, which is incorporated by reference herein.

The protective element described in US. Pat. No. 3,410,007, while satisfactory in providing a toeprotecting arch and a sole-protecting portion, has certain apparent disadvantages, both in use and in the method of manufacture. For example, the protective element requires the formation of a blank having equal wing-type portions which must be joined together, such as by welding, along a straight-line portion to form the sole-protecting portion of the element. This technique, therefore, requires a seam along the sole-protecting portion with careful alignment of the two-wing portions during manufacture, together with the inherent weakness of the portions so joined when struck by a very sharp object along the seam line, together also with the expense of joining the wing portion along a long seam line, particularly where the sole-protecting portion extends substantially through the entire sole layer. More particularly, the blank must be formed of uniform ma terial, and, thus, the arch-protecting portion and the sole-protecting portion are of substantially uniform and equal thickness.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION My invention relates to a protective device for footwear and to a method of manufacturing the same, which device provides ease in manufacture and flexibility in the amount and type of protection given to a wearer of footwear containing such devices. In particular, my protective device for safety shoes consists of a sheet material, typically a hard, stiff sheet material, such as sheet steel, formed to provide a protecting-arch portion open in the front and rear thereof and a unitary integral sole-protecting portion which is designed to underlie all or a part of the wearers foot. The soleprotecting portion, together with the arch-protecting portion, provides additional safety to the wearer, and has advantages in providing flexibility in the amount of protection and the ease of manufacture thereof.

My protective device provides many advantages in protection, manufacture and use. For example, the use of a unitary sole-protecting portion in my device provides for the advantage of greater strength in the unitary material, while it avoids the time and difficulty associated with the welding or joining composite sheet material together along a seam line in the soleprotecting portion as in the Peterson patent. The elimination of a seam line in the sole-protecting portion not only provides the greater strength, but avoids any discomfort to the wearer from a seam therein, such as a welding bead, or the improper joining of such composite materials together.

Furthermore, my protective device permits the open arch-forming portion to be formed in a simple and efficient manner from an integral blank material, and in certain embodiments described permits enhanced strength of the arch-forming portion from an integral, uniform thickness blank material. In my device, the use of only one adjoining edge minimizes the possibility of failure of the device when the arch-protecting portion is struck by a crushing blow. For example, only one edge of each arch-protecting portion needs be joined to the opposite edge which is integrally joined to the soleprotecting portion. In addition, the multiple two or three arch-protecting portions in my blank material permit an overlapping and strong multiple layer effect in the open-arch portion. In the simplest embodiments of the multiple layer effect, a single material may be employed where minimal protection is desired, such as in children's shoes, or a multiple layer effect used where enhanced protection is desired, such as in heavy industrial-type safety footwear. In my device, a great portion of the strength for protection purposes is related to the structural configuration of the blank, whether a single or multiple layer at the archprotecting portion, in combination with the integral sole-protecting portion, rather than in the past, relying on the particular construction of the shoe in which the protective device is used.

By the term sole-protecting portion as used herein, it is meant the protection of all or any part of the sole of the foot of the wearer in which my protective device is to be inserted and used. Where flexibility of the sole of the safety shoe is an important consideration, then the sole-protecting portion of my device may then only cover a selected portion of the sole of the shoe, such as a portion extending less than the instep, so that flexibility of the wearers sole is maintained. Where the soleprotecting portion only partially protects the entire sole, then it may be composed of a thicker material to provide additional protection if desired in comparison to a sole-protecting portion which extends to cover all or substantially all of the sole, wherein thinner material must be used to maintain sole flexibility for the user.

By the term toe-protecting portion" as used herein, it is meant the protection of the toes or the metatarsal arch, or both, of the foot of the wearer in which the protective device is to be inserted and used. The archprotecting portion is open at the front and rear end thereof, and may be formed of a single layer of the blank material or multiple, adjacent, overlapping layers of the blank material where enhanced protection is desired of the arch-protecting portion, but thinner material in a single layer is required for flexibility in the soleprotecting portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings, several embodiments of my invention are illustrated by way of examples.

FIG. 1 is a representation of a blank formed of a bendable sheet material which may, in one embodiment, be formed into my protective device.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the blank of FIG. I along the line of 2-2 of FIG. 1 when formed into a protective device of my invention.

FIG. 3 is another embodiment of a blank which may be formed into a protective device of my invention having a multiple layer toe-protecting portion.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along the line 44 of FIG. 1 showing the blank as formed into a protective device.

FIG. 5 is a blank of another embodiment of my invention.

FIG. 6 is a top elevation view of the blank of FIG. 5 as formed into a protective device of my invention.

FIG. 7 is a blank of another embodiment of my invention which combines the structural features of the preceding embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view along the line 88 of FIG. 7 showing a multiple layer construction into a protective device of the blank of FIG. 7.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate one embodiment wherein a flat stamped sheet material 10, such as of 0.010 springtempered stainless steel, is formed comprising a soleprotecting element 12 which extends in this illustration to cover only a portion of the sole of the wearer; for example, extended as shown to just before the instep of the wearer, and an open arch toe-protecting element 14. The arch element 14 is integral with the sole 12, but is forrnable, such as by bending, along the foot contour line 16 of the blank, while the opposite free edge of the arch 14 is represented by an outer foot-contoured edge 18 adapted to be joined to the opposite outer first contoured edge 19 of the sole 12, such as by welding or other means. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the archprotecting element 14 forms an arch open at the front and rear, with edge 18 welded by a weld seam 20 to the opposite edge 19 of the sole element 12. The blank is of uniform thickness and composed of a unitary integral material. The method of manufacture is simple in requiring only a single short weld seam or other means to join the edge 18 to the outer edge 19 of sole 12. This construction avoids long weld seams along the sole-protecting portion, provides strength to the soleprotecting portion by being of integral construction and without any seams to provide discomfort or to reduce the protection of the sole-protecting portion.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are illustrations of a multiple layer arch in a protective device of my invention which comprises a sheet of blank material 30 comprising an integral unitary sole-protecting element 32, and two oppositely spaced and substantially equally shaped archprotecting elements 34 and 36 joined to the sole 32 along formable lines of adjoinment 38 and 40. The arch elements have free foot-contoured-shaped outer edges 42 and 44, and are each adapted to be formed into a separate arch, with the edge 42 joined to 38 and 44 to be joined to 40 through weld seams 46 and 48 to form a double-thickness layer arched toe-protecting portion. The double layer has been shown to be joined together at each edge 42 and 44; however, it is recognized that the overlapping arch elements 34 and 36 may be joined, such as by welding at the corners or top of the arches or in other locations. Either arch element 34 or 36 may be bent first and its edge joined to the sole edge, with the edge of the other arch element secured to the outside along the line adjoining the other arch element to the sole. This embodiment permits a thin unitary blank material to be used as the sole-protecting portion where flexibility is desired, such as where the sole-protecting portion is to cover all or substantially all of the wearers sole, and yet provides a double layer for additional strength to the toe-protecting portion of my protective device.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate another embodiment of my protective device which comprises a sheet blank material 50 containing a sole-protecting element 52 and an arch element 54, the arch element 54 formed as a part of the blank at the toe position of the sole element 52, and adjoining such sole element 52 along discontinuous lines 62 and 64. The arch element is fan-like in shape, with a contoured line 60, which forms the first open edge of the toe-protecting portion, defining an open space between the lines 62 and 64, and has outer opposite foot-contoured edges 56 and 58 adapted to be joined to each side, respectively, of the outer footcontoured edge of the sole element 52. The open space forms the open front of the arched toe-protecting por tion of my device. The arch element and edges 56, 58 and 60 are formed so that the arch element may be bent over axially of the sole element 52 along lines 62 and 64, and the edges 56 and 58 joined by weld seams 66 and 68 to the outer sole element edges 57 and 59 to form a protective device. The soleprotecting portion provides strength and protection due to its unitary property, while it is absent of any joining seams.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a further multiple layer pro tective device which combines the embodiments of FIGS. 36. A sheet blank material comprises a sole element 82, and three arch elements 84, 86 and 88 hav ing outer foot-contoured edges 90, 92, 94 and 96 adapted to be joined together to the outer edge on each side of the sole element 82, such as by weld seams 98 for edge 96, 100 for edge 90, and 102 and 106 for edges 92 and 94. The arch elements may have element 88 formed first or last, followed by elements 84 and 86, and where element 88 is formed first, edges 92 and 94 need not be secured, but the element held in position when the elements 82 and 84 are joined to edges of the sole element 82. In this embodiment, the blank material may be formed of very thin material, since the overlapping arch elements provide increased thickness, strength and protection to the wearer in the toeprotection portion.

My protective device has been explained for the purposes of illustration employing sheet steel material;

however, any sheet material including, but not limited to, thermoplastics and thermosetting-type polymers, such as glass-fiber-reinforced or molded or thermoformed rigid plastic, may be used. The arch elements of my embodiments have been joined by welding and the use of weld seams; however, any suitable means of joining may be used to secure the arch elements in position, such as adhesives where polymers are used, welding, ultrasonic welding techniques, sewing and the like. For example, the overlapping wing elements may be welded or joined by adhesive, etc. at the top of the arch or in one or more positions, leaving the edges free.

My protective device overcomes many of the past difficulties in protective devices, and has the advantage of providing enhanced sole protection and increased arch protection through single or multiple layers.

What is claimed is:

l. A method of preparing a protective device for safety shoes, which device comprises an integral onepiece sole-protecting portion and a toe-protecting portion, the toe-protecting portion characterized by an arch with open front and rear ends therein, which pro tective device is adapted to be inserted and used in safety footwear, which method comprises:

a. providing a unitary piece of a flat sheet material, the material composed of a unitary sole-protecting portion having a general shape of at least a portion of a foot, and at least one extending element, which extending element has at least one foot-contoured outer edge thereon and adapted to be formed into a toe-protecting portion;

b. forming the extending element over the soleprotecting portion along a line which is of a footcontoured shape with the sole-protecting portion so as to form a toe-protecting portion over the soleprotecting portion characterized by open front and rear ends; and

c. securing the free outer foot-contoured edge of the extending element forming the toe-protecting portion to the opposing foot-contoured line or edge of the sole-protecting portion, thereby forming a protective device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the extending toeprotecting element portion is formed at one side only to the sole-protecting portion, and the toe-protecting portion is secured at the outer free edge to the outer opposite free foot-contoured edge of the soleprotecting portion, thereby forming a protective device having a single uniform layer of material for both the toe-protecting portion and the sole-protecting portion.

3. The method of claim 1 which comprises providing a sole-protecting portion of the material which extends from the toe of the layer backwards to a position such that the wearer may flex his foot without interference by the sole-protecting portion of the material.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the free outer edge of the extending toe-protecting portion is secured to the outer foot-contoured portion of the sole-protecting portion by welding about the foot-contoured line or edge.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the flatsheet material is composed of a plastic material.

6. The method of claim 1 which includes the step of inserting the protective device so formed into a shoe for use as safety footwear.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the toe-protecting portion of the flat sheet material comprises two extending elements each substantially equally shaped in dimension, each element positioned at opposite edges of the sole-protecting portion and integrally joined therewith, the free outer edges of each of the extending toeprotecting elements contoured to fit the respective opposite outer line of the foot-contoured portion of the sole-protecting portion, and which includes:

forming each of the elements over the sole-protectin g portion, one over the other, to form overlapping elements of a toe-protecting portion characterized by an arch open at the front and rear ends, and which includes securing the free outer edges of each of the elements to the foot-contoured forming lines of the sole-protecting portion, thereby forming an overlapping double layer toe-protecting arch, with the protective device characterized by a single thickness for the soleprotecting portion.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the flat sheet material comprises a toeprotecting element which is integrally joined to the front edge of the soleprotecting portion, the toe-protecting element characterized by a crescent-like space between the toe-protecting element and the sole-protecting portion, the opposite outer edges of the toe-protecting element each having a contour approximating that of each side of the toeprotecting portion, and which method includes:

a. forming the toe-protecting element by positioning the element over the sole-protecting portion and placing each of the free outer edges of the toeprotecting element adjacent the respective free outer edges of the sole-protectir1g element, so as to form a toe-protecting portion characterized by open and front rear end, with the open front portion forming the crescent-shaped space; and

b. securing each of the foot-contoured outer edges of the toe-protecting portion to the respective free outer edges of the sole-protecting portion.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the flat sheet material is a spring steel material.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of forming is by bending the flat sheet material along the footcontoured line into a toe-protecting portion character ized by an arch having front and rear open ends.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein securing the material comprises sewing the material into position.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the flat sheet ma terial is a plastic material, and the material is secured by an adhesive.

13. The method of claim 1 which includes providing the material by stamping out of a unitary piece of flat, hard, stiff, sheet steel material the sole-protecting and toe-protecting portions.

14. A method of preparing a protective device for safety shoes, which device comprises an integral one piece sole-protecting portion and a toe-protecting portion characterized by an arch having open front and rear ends, which method comprises:

a. forming a unitary single piece of a flat sheet material, the sheet material composed of a soleprotecting portion and two opposing extending toeprotecting elements, each element positioned at the opposite edges of the sole-protecting portion and integrally joined therewith, each of the elements contoured at their respective outer edges to fit the respective opposite outer edges of the footcontoured line of the sole-protecting portion;

b. bending the two extending toe-protecting elements c. securing the arched toe-protecting bent elements in sequence over the sole-protecting portion along in an arched position, thereby forming a protective a foot-contoured line with the sole-protecting pordevice with a multiple-layer arch and a single-layer tion to form a two-layer, toe-protecting arch open sole-protecting portion. at the front and rear ends; and 

1. A method of preparing a protective device for safety shoes, which device comprises an integral one-piece sole-protecting portion and a toe-protecting portion, the toe-protecting portion characterized by an arch with open front and rear ends therein, which protective device is adapted to be inserted and used in safety footwear, which method comprises: a. providing a unitary piece of a flat sheet material, the material composed of a unitary sole-protecting portion having a general shape of at least a portion of a foot, and at least one extending element, which extending element Has at least one foot-contoured outer edge thereon and adapted to be formed into a toe-protecting portion; b. forming the extending element over the sole-protecting portion along a line which is of a foot-contoured shape with the sole-protecting portion so as to form a toe-protecting portion over the sole-protecting portion characterized by open front and rear ends; and c. securing the free outer foot-contoured edge of the extending element forming the toe-protecting portion to the opposing foot-contoured line or edge of the sole-protecting portion, thereby forming a protective device.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the extending toe-protecting element portion is formed at one side only to the sole-protecting portion, and the toe-protecting portion is secured at the outer free edge to the outer opposite free foot-contoured edge of the sole-protecting portion, thereby forming a protective device having a single uniform layer of material for both the toe-protecting portion and the sole-protecting portion.
 3. The method of claim 1 which comprises providing a sole-protecting portion of the material which extends from the toe of the layer backwards to a position such that the wearer may flex his foot without interference by the sole-protecting portion of the material.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the free outer edge of the extending toe-protecting portion is secured to the outer foot-contoured portion of the sole-protecting portion by welding about the foot-contoured line or edge.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the flatsheet material is composed of a plastic material.
 6. The method of claim 1 which includes the step of inserting the protective device so formed into a shoe for use as safety footwear.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the toe-protecting portion of the flat sheet material comprises two extending elements each substantially equally shaped in dimension, each element positioned at opposite edges of the sole-protecting portion and integrally joined therewith, the free outer edges of each of the extending toe-protecting elements contoured to fit the respective opposite outer line of the foot-contoured portion of the sole-protecting portion, and which includes: forming each of the elements over the sole-protecting portion, one over the other, to form overlapping elements of a toe-protecting portion characterized by an arch open at the front and rear ends, and which includes securing the free outer edges of each of the elements to the foot-contoured forming lines of the sole-protecting portion, thereby forming an overlapping double layer toe-protecting arch, with the protective device characterized by a single thickness for the sole-protecting portion.
 8. The method of claim 1 wherein the flat sheet material comprises a toe-protecting element which is integrally joined to the front edge of the sole-protecting portion, the toe-protecting element characterized by a crescent-like space between the toe-protecting element and the sole-protecting portion, the opposite outer edges of the toe-protecting element each having a contour approximating that of each side of the toe-protecting portion, and which method includes: a. forming the toe-protecting element by positioning the element over the sole-protecting portion and placing each of the free outer edges of the toe-protecting element adjacent the respective free outer edges of the sole-protecting element, so as to form a toe-protecting portion characterized by open and front rear end, with the open front portion forming the crescent-shaped space; and b. securing each of the foot-contoured outer edges of the toe-protecting portion to the respective free outer edges of the sole-protecting portion.
 9. The method of claim 1 wherein the flat sheet material is a spring steel material.
 10. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of forming is by bending the flat sheet material along the foot-contoured line into a toe-protecting portion characterized by an arch having front and rear opEn ends.
 11. The method of claim 1 wherein securing the material comprises sewing the material into position.
 12. The method of claim 1 wherein the flat sheet material is a plastic material, and the material is secured by an adhesive.
 13. The method of claim 1 which includes providing the material by stamping out of a unitary piece of flat, hard, stiff, sheet steel material the sole-protecting and toe-protecting portions.
 14. A method of preparing a protective device for safety shoes, which device comprises an integral one-piece sole-protecting portion and a toe-protecting portion characterized by an arch having open front and rear ends, which method comprises: a. forming a unitary single piece of a flat sheet material, the sheet material composed of a sole-protecting portion and two opposing extending toe-protecting elements, each element positioned at the opposite edges of the sole-protecting portion and integrally joined therewith, each of the elements contoured at their respective outer edges to fit the respective opposite outer edges of the foot-contoured line of the sole-protecting portion; b. bending the two extending toe-protecting elements in sequence over the sole-protecting portion along a foot-contoured line with the sole-protecting portion to form a two-layer, toe-protecting arch open at the front and rear ends; and c. securing the arched toe-protecting bent elements in an arched position, thereby forming a protective device with a multiple-layer arch and a single-layer sole-protecting portion. 